BINDI products are based on the ancient principles of Ayurveda - the
original healing science of India. Ayurvedic wisdom holds that providing the skin with the
purest nourishment possible not only allows for total self-correction of the skin, but
also has profound healing effect on the entire person.

ACCLAIM

SASSY
MAGAZINEIntroducing the first adjustable powder facial cleanser. It's called Bindi Herbal
Powder and it contains all-natural stuff with names like elder flower, calamus root,
comfrey, etc. When water's added, these and other far-flung ingredients turn into a paste
that cleans, exfoliates, and promotes healing. The extra-oily days, add a couple of drops
of lemon juice to the water. And on days when your skin is more sensitive or dry, mix the
powder with calming, soothing milk instead of water. To find out where you can snag the
stuff, call 718-268-7347. Then go play.

MADAMOISELLEBeauty clinic: The salon difference: custom-tailored facials help put your best
face forward The Herbal Approach: Botanical ingredients are often used for their gentle
cleansing and pH-balancing properties, as well as the blissful hint of scent they send
out. A key step Pratima Raichur at Tej, NYC, uses in her all-herbal technique: an
"Ayurveda" (ancient Indian) facial massage with essential oils targeted to your
skin type. Dry complexions might be treated to rose and sandalwood oils; acne or oily skin
might benefit from lavender, geranium and rosemary.

ELLE MAGAZINENEW HAIR TREATS Natures Way: Head Back to the Future for Beautiful Hair
For Pratima Raichur, the use of botanicals goes back a lot further than the sixties. At
her Tej Salon in New York City, Raichur uses the principles of Ayurveda, the
5,000-year-old Indian science of health and healing, to beautify hair and skin. Her new
shampoo, Bindi Herbal Hair Wash, contains "only natural herbal powder-no chemicals,
no preservatives," she says. It's sold in specialty and health food stores.
Raichur warns against being fooled by some so-called natural shampoos that "have the
same ingredients as the others, but then they add 5 percent natural extracts." She
firmly believes that "we need more nourishing things in this country, because of the
harsh climate as well as all the chemicals and blow dryers people use."

Made with Indian herbs such
as ritha and neem, the dry powder shampoo is mixed with warm water and massaged into the
scalp. There's no foamy white lather, but Raichur insists that soapy lather has nothing to
do with clean, healthy hair. "Most shampoos on the market right now contain sudsing
agents like sodium lauryl and ammonium sulfates because we think we need lather to clean
the hair," she explains. "The sudsing chemicals destroy hair's natural protein
coating and leave the scalp dry. Then people use conditioner to counteract the dryness,
which leaves an oily residue that stays on top of the hair and attracts dirt. So by the
second day, you have to start over again." To avoid the vicious cycle of stripping
hair, coating it with oil, and then having to strip it again, Raichur recommends using her
Bindi Herbal Hair Wash; twice a week is often enough for most hair types, she says.

BODY MIND AND SPIRIT
Bindi Facial Skin Care products are based on the principles of Ayurveda, the original
healing science of India, which uses curative herbs, roots, flowers and minerals to
encourage the body to restore its natural vitality and beauty. The Bindi skin care regimen
consists of 3 synergistically balanced herbal products applied in a specific sequence: The
Herbal Cleanser, The Essential Oil, and the Moisturizing cream.